


new year's day

by kingofmyheart



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, New Year's Eve, New Years, One Shot, Strangers, inspired by a song, minwon meets at a nye party for the first time through a mutual friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 02:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17256209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingofmyheart/pseuds/kingofmyheart
Summary: Mingyu can't help but like the stranger's pretty eyes and curly hair but his favourite has to be his offer to help Mingyu clean up after a New Year's Eve party.





	new year's day

**Author's Note:**

> ive never done narrative writing so im not good at it but i figured i should start somewhere so here goes (also i learned english mostly through grammarfreaks cyberbullying me when i was 12 hehe)  
> not beta-ed bc i have no friends

Clinking of bottles decorate the atmosphere, complete with ringing laughters and elegant clicking of heels. Bodies press against the railings as people crane their necks to get a better view of the vast city scape, curious to see the final hoorah of an intangible concept. Stars are but a forgotten history, faded against its backdrop by twinkling LED and building lights. The night air freezes the crowd at their fingertips, but the anticipation is worth every raised bump on their skin. They wait for flowers in the sky.

Attached to the balcony is a dimly-lit two-bedroom apartment that smells faintly of scented candles, woody and expensive. The space is currently abandoned by the crowd for the fancy platform with a view. On the ageing, but well-maintained, russet brown leather couch sits Mingyu with a beer in hand, looking out at the small gathering outside.

It isn’t that he’s not looking forward to ring in the new year. He’s excited, even. That time is due for a restart. Even if it’s a false construct. He likes new things, and even though nothing changes physically, he can feel the replenished hope in everyone, and new-found determination. Unlike how he was when he was fresh-faced in college, living it up every moment that he could, almost-26 greets him with a more relaxed attitude towards life.

The wireless speakers croon a soft tune Mingyu enjoys when he sees a man emerge from the crowd and walk back towards the living room. His steps tense, body riddles with shivers. When he slides the door open, his stance softens as he feels a gust of warmth from the cozy indoors. He closes the door and rubs his hand on his neck to thaw his face muscles. He peers up and notices Mingyu.

“You alone?”

Mingyu nods his head as he takes in the stranger’s features. His thick raven hair falls in loose waves, perfectly framing his square jaws but Mingyu decides that the man’s sharp eyes are his favourite. 

“Not celebrating the countdown with the rest?” he asks.

“I’m good here.” Mingyu answers. He notices the rosiness on the tip of his nose, apple of his cheeks, like peppered kisses from the winter. The sound of partying outside gets rowdier and more _drunk,_ and he gets what Mingyu means. 

“No new year’s kiss?” the man teases. 

Mingyu smiles and shook his head. The novelty of the famous _new year’s kiss_ has long worn off for him. Too often wasted on strangers who mean nothing, and smeared by desperation. Mingyu tells him as much. The stranger chuckles in agreement and asks Mingyu his last question of the year, “Can I sit with you?”

 

Their last few moments of 2018 is shared in relative silence between the two. Mingyu sips his beer and Wonwoo hums gently to the lofi hip hop drowning against the crowd counting in crescendo through glass doors. It’s nice, Mingyu thinks, having the quiet company.

Fireworks are in full bloom across the starless sky, hoots and cheering and excited _happy new year_ s are shared. Mingyu gazes to his side where the unnamed man sits with his knees up, feet resting against the edge of the couch. He has a soft grin on his face and an awed look in his eyes as he watches the crowd exchange hugs and congratulations. He turns to match Mingyu’s gaze, his smile widening as he wishes him a _prosperous 2019_.

The stranger glows under the dim lighting, the warm hues adding an ambiance to the whole scene. His sharp eyes catch the sparkling candle light, and it might be premature calculation but Mingyu thinks this man might just be the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. “Happy New Year.” 

- 

Mingyu crouches down to pick up scattered cans of beer, used tissues, and more unidentified scraps from the floor. He isn’t a clean freak by any standard, but sees no reason to leave a mess lying behind unattended. When his hands are full, he walks over to the kitchen to dispose of them. He finds a garbage bag and decides to carry it with him for efficiency. He carries on picking up more trash in hopes to alleviate the mess as much as he can.

The apartment belongs to a close friend who is much too drunk to do anything other than pass out on the carpet. (Mingyu, the good friend that he is, had carried him to his bed earlier.)

It is 4 in the morning when the crowd has finally dispersed back to their own homes. Leaving the apartment room nothing short of a shipwreck Mingyu deals with, knowing his friend will be far too hungover to deal with it the rest of the day.

Mingyu is sweeping crumbs and dirt around the coffee table when he hears clanging of glass and ceramic plates. He glances up to the kitchen and finds the same stranger from earlier, still here, picking up dirty dishes from the island and dining table to move them to the sink. He reaches to turn the knob when Mingyu interrupts.

“You don’t have to wash those.”

The stranger turns to look at him startled and smiles. “It’s fine. I know Soonyoung. I’m just trying to help.”

The man’s hair is messier than before, but still frames his face nicely. And his eyes are a little more tired now, drooping ever so slightly. He doesn’t have to stay to help, but Mingyu really appreciates the offer. The idea of cleaning up an apartment alone at 4am on new year’s day doesn’t sound appealing and the man is nice enough to help, so Mingyu accepts it. Just one little thing.

“Sorry, but I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

“It’s Wonwoo. And I never introduced myself so it’s fine.” _Wonwoo_ replies. It’s a nice name.

“Mingyu.”

He repeats Mingyu’s name as if to register it into his memory. Wonwoo goes back to washing the dishes and Mingyu goes back to sweeping the floor.

 

Wonwoo is humming a random tune when Mingyu gets the idea to turn on some music. He leaves the broom aside and moves to the coat rack by the door. He goes for his coat — only one of two left on the hanger — and fishes his phone out of its pocket. He connects it to the speakers and chooses to play a lofi hip hop playlist, much like the ones playing during the party. He isn’t sure what kind of music Wonwoo enjoys.

Wonwoo reacts by nodding his head along to the music. The music fills up the empty gaps of their unfamiliarity. It brings them into a matching harmony as they dance through the chores to the chill beats drumming into their skin.

-

Mingyu finishes sweeping up the balcony, and he’s tired. While not spotless, the apartment is tidy for the most part. There was no intense detail-oriented cleaning done but an exhausted restless Mingyu is satisfied with the outcome. He sits on the floor of the balcony with his knees up and look at the view.

The atmosphere is serene, from the aftermath of an overexcited night. Mingyu isn’t exactly a morning person but when he chances upon it after a sleepless night, he appreciates the calm beauty of it, the exquisite liminality of a budding sunrise. Different from a sunset that is accompanied by a million pairs of eyes, a sunrise on an off day goes by with not many to see.

He hears steps from behind and turns to see Wonwoo walking towards him with throw pillows and several blankets bunched up in his arms. He passes Mingyu a pillow and two blankets — which Mingyu immediately wraps himself with — before settling comfortably beside him, crossing his legs and hiding under his own layers of blanket.

“I finished mopping the floor and drying the dishes.”

“Thank you.” Mingyu responds, and he really means it. He likes the idea of Soonyoung waking up in the new year to a fresh apartment, not the casualty of inebriated party guests, even if he will be too hungover to be bright and cheerful. He doesn’t really know Wonwoo at all but he thinks he must be really nice to put aside time to help him with the place. At the very least he cares about his friends.

“It’s past seven we should probably get some rest.” Wonwoo tells him. He only hums in response. He feels the weight in his eyes and the numbness in his head and he thinks he really probably should.

The next few minutes is spent in complete silence as the strip of pink slowly blend into the still murky blue. The sun is due to rise in the next half an hour, Mingyu estimates. He can see the growing glares from the sun underneath the horizon.

“So… Do you always clean your friends’ apartments?” And at this Mingyu laughs at his attempt at small talk.

“Only special ones.”

“I could use a friend like that.” Wonwoo says, and Mingyu mentions that Wonwoo technically is also the ‘friend who cleans apartments’.

“It’s a one time gig, unfortunately. I was touched by your graciousness and didn’t want to lose.” He quips.

The conversation trickles into small exchanges of mundane things like how Mingyu hates wood laminate and how Wonwoo loves the smell of Byredo Tree House. Mingyu goes on a tangent about how laminate looks weirdly shiny, how ugly the reflected spots look and really he’s ranting because he caused a dent once on Soonyoung’s floor (because wood laminate is weak) and the spot will forever haunt him like it did half an hour ago when he was sweeping up.

Wonwoo listens intently to the passionate spewing in which he can clearly detect the sleeplessness of his laminate-hating company. Mingyu goes silent and turns away from the sky to look next to him, he finds Wonwoo facing him, his face gentle and sleepy.

In the civil twilight, Mingyu notices his faded eyeliner, and some glitter left on his eyelids. But right now, Mingyu’s favourite is the worn-off cherry on his lips.

A delicate morning breeze surrounds them and the temperature is freezing but their thick clothes and bundle of blankets make for their own little fortresses. Mingyu kind of likes feeling a bit of cold, anyway. He places the throw pillow behind him and lays his head on it, resting his body on the concrete balcony floor. It’s not the most comfy of places to sleep on but Mingyu feels an unexplainable state of relaxation. His eyes flutter close and he decides he’s going to sleep right there, winter be damned.

Wonwoo admires Mingyu’s tranquil face and notes the pink flush from the air, and the tan glow of his skin under the sunrise, but he decides that his favourite is the upturned corner of his lips hinting at a faint gentle smile. 

-

_please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I can recognise anywhere_

**Author's Note:**

> very much inspired by New Year's Day - Taylor Swift  
> i was going for short & sweet but it's just short  
> writing is hard  
> happy new year


End file.
